Tatsumi Kimishima also reveals he has only been elected for one year.

Nintendo's newly appointed president, Tatsumi Kimishima, predicted the Wii U would not be a success.

According to a report by Japanese publication Nikkei, as translated by analyst and games industry consultant Serkan Toto, Kimishima highlighted the console's similarities to its predecessor as problematic.

Following its release, the Wii U struggled to gain commercial traction. Market confusion arising from similarities between the console and the original Wii was cited as one of the contributing factors.

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Elsewhere in the interview, Kimishima indicated he had no intention to alter the course Iwata placed the company on, and will continue Nintendo's efforts to enter the mobile market.

According to the exec, Iwata did not provide any instructions on how to run the company in his absence. He also revealed he has been elected to the position for one year, and is unsure about what will happen beyond this period.

Kimishima indicated he wasn't against the idea of hiring someone from outside Nintendo to lead the company one day. If this were to come to pass, it would be a significant shift for the company, which had been headed up by members of the Yamauchi family, before promoting longtime developer Iwata.